H
horst
Guest
I picked this up on another site where theres a debate going on about mountain lions in the state.This guy called and asked one of their biologists abot them, heres what he had to say, Im actually getting kinda bored with the subject but this has some pretty interesting facts in it.
Tuesday, January 13 2004 @ 04:42 PM CST
Ok, I took my own advice and talked to the DNR today regarding Mountain Lions in the state of Iowa.
I called 1-641-357-3517 at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, January 13, 2004.
Here is what I was told:
Until very recently most Mountain Lion sightings in Iowa could be traced back to a pet that escaped or was lost by its owner. Only recently, and in just three documented cases, three young male Mountain Lions have been found in Iowa that could not be traced back as pets. Of those three, 2 were shot and one was hit by a car. All other Mountain Lion sightings in Iowa can not be confirmed because the lion has to be caught before thay can determine where it came from. Tracks do not help because they cannot confirm a lion as a lost or esceped pet, or as a roaming wild animal.
The three that have been documented were all males. The best conjecture said the DNR is that they were dispersed from their original areas by older and stronger dominant males. They were wandering in search of food and ended up in the Midwest and Iowa because of the abundance of natural food, ie; deer.
He said that out west, because of anti-hunting groups, hunting pressure on Mountain Lions has decreased and their number has increased. There is not room for all of them and the younger males get dispersed from their area by the older males and have to look for food elsewhere.
The DNR officer I was talking to was in the Furbearing Biologists office of the DNR. He was the man who answered the phone. He said he was not Ron Andrews, that Ron Andrews was not in the office today. He wanted that to be clear.
He said the following is his opinion, not DNR opinion. He believes Mountain Lions will not grow in number here and will remain an occaisional anomoly. That is there will be occaisional sightings. He said that because the three that have been documented were all males he does not see why they would want to stay here without females. Iowa is a good place for food for Mountain Lions, but is a poor place for their social life and they will get lonely for female companionship. Without little kitty Mountain Lions there would be no way for the numbers to increase here.
Oh, and he did say, "We did not bring the Mountain Lions here! That is just a rumor." I didn't even have to ask him, he told me that the very first moment we talked. I told him I understood that, then he shared the information I have shared in this post.
Again, the DNR can only document three male Mountain Lions. Tracks do not not make documentation possible. An actual lion makes it possible to determine if it is a true visitor to the state or a lost or escaped pet. At this point in time that is an important distinction to be able to make.
That was direct from the horses mouth. I was pleased with how open the DNR officer was and how friendly he was considering the rumors etc. He took his time with me and answered all my questions. I told him where I lived, my name, and that I was a hunter and fisherman. I believe what he told me and have no reason not to.
It makes perfect sense to me.
Bob
Tuesday, January 13 2004 @ 04:42 PM CST
Ok, I took my own advice and talked to the DNR today regarding Mountain Lions in the state of Iowa.
I called 1-641-357-3517 at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, January 13, 2004.
Here is what I was told:
Until very recently most Mountain Lion sightings in Iowa could be traced back to a pet that escaped or was lost by its owner. Only recently, and in just three documented cases, three young male Mountain Lions have been found in Iowa that could not be traced back as pets. Of those three, 2 were shot and one was hit by a car. All other Mountain Lion sightings in Iowa can not be confirmed because the lion has to be caught before thay can determine where it came from. Tracks do not help because they cannot confirm a lion as a lost or esceped pet, or as a roaming wild animal.
The three that have been documented were all males. The best conjecture said the DNR is that they were dispersed from their original areas by older and stronger dominant males. They were wandering in search of food and ended up in the Midwest and Iowa because of the abundance of natural food, ie; deer.
He said that out west, because of anti-hunting groups, hunting pressure on Mountain Lions has decreased and their number has increased. There is not room for all of them and the younger males get dispersed from their area by the older males and have to look for food elsewhere.
The DNR officer I was talking to was in the Furbearing Biologists office of the DNR. He was the man who answered the phone. He said he was not Ron Andrews, that Ron Andrews was not in the office today. He wanted that to be clear.
He said the following is his opinion, not DNR opinion. He believes Mountain Lions will not grow in number here and will remain an occaisional anomoly. That is there will be occaisional sightings. He said that because the three that have been documented were all males he does not see why they would want to stay here without females. Iowa is a good place for food for Mountain Lions, but is a poor place for their social life and they will get lonely for female companionship. Without little kitty Mountain Lions there would be no way for the numbers to increase here.
Oh, and he did say, "We did not bring the Mountain Lions here! That is just a rumor." I didn't even have to ask him, he told me that the very first moment we talked. I told him I understood that, then he shared the information I have shared in this post.
Again, the DNR can only document three male Mountain Lions. Tracks do not not make documentation possible. An actual lion makes it possible to determine if it is a true visitor to the state or a lost or escaped pet. At this point in time that is an important distinction to be able to make.
That was direct from the horses mouth. I was pleased with how open the DNR officer was and how friendly he was considering the rumors etc. He took his time with me and answered all my questions. I told him where I lived, my name, and that I was a hunter and fisherman. I believe what he told me and have no reason not to.
It makes perfect sense to me.
Bob
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